Photorumors.com has posted leaked photographs of a prototype of Fujifilm's upcoming mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, hinted at back in October. Dubbed the Fuji LX, it is said to feature an ASP-C size sensor and an X100 style hybrid viewfinder. It will be announced with 3 or 4 lenses featuring Fujifilm's new lens mount: a pancake 18mm f/2.0, a 35mm f/1.4, a zoom lens, and a possible 60mm portrait lens.



The 'Fuji LX' will be demonstrated in January at CES in Las Vegas, and is expected to ship in the spring of 2012. Since this is only a prototype, the color and finish details are expected to change, but this is probably close to the final design's layout. Judging from the first two photos, the entire body appears to be cast entirely in magnesium, so it should be very sturdy. Hopefully Fujifilm will be including some weather sealing as well. With the black dials and shutter button on top, it's a safe bet that the camera body will be offered in a black finish.


For more information and photos see PhotoRumors.com

Fujifilm has officially released firmware update version 1.11 for the FinePix X100, it's available for download (32.2 MB) on Fujifilm's Global website.

How To Upgrade Your X100 The Easy Way

Many people have found Fujifilm's firmware update instructions confusing, so we've written this simple guide to upgrading your X100's firmware.

1. Insert a fully charged NP-95 battery into your X100.
2. Format your SD card in your camera. (Backup your data first, of course.)
3. Download the FPUPDATE.DAT [32.2MB] file from Fujifilm's website after accepting their license. You do not need to download the "transfer program" from Fujifilm, we are going to do this part ourselves in the next step.
4. Connect your SD card to your computer, either with a card reader or with your USB cable.
5. Copy the FPUPDATE.DAT file to the root directory of the SD card
6. Insert the SD card into your camera.
7. Continue at "STEP3" of Fujifilm's instructions.
   Short version: Turn the camera on while holding down the [BACK] button to start the firmware update process and follow the on screen instructions.

You don't actually need to run the .EXE or .DMG transfer program, it simply copies the .DAT file to the SD card. Be sure your battery is 100% charged before starting the update. The upgrade should take about 90 seconds.

Once the firmware upgrade is complete, the camera will instruct you to turn it off. After you power the camera back on you'll need to set it up again starting with the date and time, and all of your custom settings will need to be reset.

Firmware Changes

Details of changes made in the firmware update are the following:

Earlier today Fujifilm shared some of the first details about their upcoming mirror-less interchangeable lens camera during a presentation in Tokyo. The new X series camera will be officially shown off at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in mid January and is expected to ship in Spring 2012. No photos of this new camera were provided, the form factor is currently unknown.

They stated that it is their intention to "build the finest SLR mirror-less system" with the "resolution and low noise that will surpass a full-size 35mm sensor".


This is exciting news to hear! Fujifilm has long hinted at their interest in entering the mirror-less interchangeable lens market but had yet to offer any official confirmation. The mirror-less SLR market has been heating up in the past year with many new contenders offering a wide array of form factors and sensor sizes, the latest being Nikon's 1 series with 1" photo sensors. With the introduction of the Fujifilm X100, Fujifilm shared their intentions to go after the premium compact market, which sets this new camera up to make quite a splash. Given their statement above, it doesn't seem like a stretch to imagine that they're likely to utilize an APS-C sized sensor similar to the X100's. With so much competition on the low end, the mirror-less market could really use a true professional DSLR replacement, hopefully with the spirit of the X100's traditional analog controls.

Fujifilm additionally announced another new member of the X series family, the Fujifilm X-S1, a compact DSLR styled camera with a 2/3" EXR CMOS sensor, built in EVF, and fixed 26x zoom lens. The X-S1 offers the technology of the upcoming X10, but in a traditional body with an incredibly versatile lens.


More details from the event can be read at the translated DCWatch website.

This new X-S1 is a peculiar addition to the X Series family, it doesn't seem to fit into the original concept of rangefinder styled compacts with analog controls. It's difficult to understand what Fujifilm's intentions are in the translated article, I'm sure we'll learn more down the road from Fujifilm USA.